Chinchilla or Hedgehog... which should I pick?

[addictedtochins]

I have a 7000 BTU air conditioner, it's not powerful enough to cool the whole area they are in which is the open living room, dining room, kitchen and hall. They are tucked in a shaded corner with the window A/C cooling that corner of the house very well. You will need to do at least that much for them. Tell me....during last summer did you wear, or want to wear a heavy coat? I doubt it. Welcome to CnH, glad you are here, Theresa

 

[watafu]

Thanks for all the info, i will reconsider one of those ecological a/c then (got a discount for whirlpool from work anyway).

Oh and what's the recommended age to get the chinchilla at?

 

[Dolyphinm]

A chin can be attained at any age. I got one of mine at 5 months old another at a year and I have a rescue her at about 3. They are skittish animals need to be given time to get used to you. My first one stayed at my parents house when I went on vacation once. My sister was the only one she didn't bolt for probably since she looks a lot like me.

Some are incredibly social with any person, but with another chin not so much. My first girl now loves all people. Put another chin near her and she WILL attack it. So just remember they don't all love being in a pair.

And that A/C would be crucial if you get one. I had my first one out of the room she lives in and in another for play time. The play time room did not have a/c. I thought it was cool enough, but once she got moving she heated up quickly. She became lethargic in 15 mins. As soon as I noticed it she was brought back up to her cage and I put a cool surface in there for her to cuddle up to to cool off on. She is a chin that I do know can in fact tolerate living in 75, but that's because we had a lot of power failures in that house, unknown to my boyfriend when he rented it initially. And the power sadly went out during the day when neither one of us was there to know. We got incredibly lucky with her in that unpredictable situation. If it was another chin, it sadly could be a different story.

I also suggest getting a portable thermometer this was you can monitor the temp in your room. If you put it a few feet away from the cage it will help you know whether you should turn the a/c up a little stronger or maybe lower it a bit to conserve some energy.

 

[~SG~]

you can get a digital thermometer at walmart pretty cheap that will record the daily high and low, very useful so you know whats going on with the temp when you are not looking

 

[fanofdmb84]

I was going to suggest a rat or two as well. They are very hardy creatures and they do bond with their people. Mine would sprint over to me when I came in the room. They can be taught tricks and are very social. Chins are hit or miss like hedgies, I've had my male chin since he was about 3 months old and he still will not let me even hold him for short periods. He thrashes and panics every time I handle him. One of my females, on the other hand, came from a ranch and was not handled much until I got her at 8 months old and she has become quite tame, although she will still not choose to be with or near me given a choice.

A/C in those temps should not be a consideration, it is a requirement. Chinchilla breeders are like anyone else who "breeds". Just because they put animals together and make babies does not make them responsible or even knowledgeable. Good, responsible breeders would not say 90 degrees is "fine" for chinchillas.

 

[watafu]

A/C in those temps should not be a consideration, it is a requirement. Chinchilla breeders are like anyone else who "breeds". Just because they put animals together and make babies does not make them responsible or even knowledgeable. Good, responsible breeders would not say 90 degrees is "fine" for chinchillas.

You're right, I should've known better. So it's decided, If i get a chinchilla(s) after all (which is most likely) I will make sure to get an A/C around March/April as the hot season approaches. I just hope I am able to find a black or white mutation when the time comes, there's a breeder offering me a male black velvet but unfortunately I just got the car out of the workshop so I can't afford a proper cage at the moment =(

Also I'd like to share this very awesome link I found. It's very concise and yet complete and there's information about a lot of pets (some have been mentioned in this thread already).

Oh yeah I have more questions

I know it's recommended to get two chinchillas as they are social animals but... which is better for a newbie? 2 males or two females? I've read that somewhere in this forum that males will hump each other to demonstrate dominance which is kinda gross...
Also the reason im considering getting a male and a female is... do they get "needy" like dogs or something?

 

[Ash]

If you don't want kits (babies) don't get a male and female. Otherwise, inevitably, you are going to end up with kits if you have a male/female pair. Females and males do fine in same-sex pairs, and you will have dominance humping regardless of what sex chins you get. My females hump each other, my males humped each other, and I've also had females hump males. It doesn't matter the sex, it's a dominance thing, just as female dogs will sometimes hump.

There are quite a few spots of bad information on that website, such as the diet, the cardboard, temperament, and the temperature. Also, the lack of proper spelling and greasy chinchillas deter me from that website, as well.

I'd steer clear of it, and stick to getting your info (in regards to chins and/or hedgehogs) from this forum.

 

[Dolyphinm]

If you have a pair you also need to be prepared that one day they might decide they can't stand each other and have a bad fight. You need to be able to have easy access to a second cage or at minimal make sure you have a travel cage to hold one in for a day if need be while trying to find another cage. They also might not ever have a problem with each other.

The sexes, males you have to do a hair ring check on their man parts and they also can have times of needing time alone to tend to their needs. Then the other hand females when angry or scared can spray you or another chin or anything that scares them, with urine. And I hear they have great aim. I have had 5 females total including a few foster girls. I have never been the victim. I did get a bit of splash back as I had a trio that one decided to be the boss even after a few months together, but that was because I was trying to break it up before anyone got hurt.

Do a search for hair ring checks on here to see if that is something you want to take on. Most people have no issues with it, but I have a preference for females.

 

[watafu]

I guess I wasn't clear enough... by "needy" I meant: Do they get horny? If so, what are the consequences if they don't have an opposite sex mate to procreate with?

 

[3CsMommy]

Most of us that have single males find the occasional hard, dried up white deposit on a shelf or piece of furniture (fleece hammock, etc.). A "cuddle buddy" is an alternative to a cage-mate, so they have something to vent those frustrations with that can be washed in a washing machine. Ime, though, they may need to be replaced every 6 mo or so, between the chewing and the intense cuddling.

 

[Stackie]

I guess I wasn't clear enough... by "needy" I meant: Do they get horny? If so, what are the consequences if they don't have an opposite sex mate to procreate with?

There are no consequences. I have 7 boys that have never been with a girl their whole lives and are fine. Animals do not need to reproduce to live and be happy. They don't have cuddle buddies or anything like that and they are perfectly fine.

Some chins do go through a stage where they hump anything and everything, but all of mine have either not gone through that stage, or if they did, they grew out of it.

If you get a pair, you need to get a same sex pair. I have 3 pairs and 1 single. No matter what the sex of the chins, you always have to be prepared that they won't get along, and may have to end up separating them. Therefore, you need to always be prepared with an extra cage and be ok with buying two of everything.

My single chin is perfectly happy being by himself. I won't put him with another because he has killed another chin before. As long as I give him attention, a couple scritch sessions and some drive by scritch sessions through out the day, he is happy.

males will hump each other to demonstrate dominance which is kinda gross...

Females hump each other to deterimine dominance as well.

Usually the dominance humping only takes place when the 2 are first put together. Once the dominance is figured out, they stop. I rarely see any of my boys humping anymore.

 

[Dusty Foot Prints]

IMO, if you've never owned chins before, I'd stick with just one in the beginning. We've had Annabelle 2 months and while I'd love to have a couple more, there is NO way we're ready for that at this point. True, I don't know you or your lifestyle but you will probably be surprised how much time/attention goes into caring for them. Its also true that with more than one they could give each other the time/attention that is lacking from us, but as its been stated previously, there is no guarantee the pair will get along-that would mean separate cages, playtimes, cleanings, etc.
I get a little bothered by people that say they want to get another one "so it won't be lonely or bored". If they have a big cage, tons of toys, a wheel or saucer and ample playtime out of the cage, they won't get bored or lonely.
Again, I don't know you and I'm not trying to sound snippy but there is nothing wrong with having only one chin and spoiling it rotten.